The intoxicating history of gin.
Gin is a spirit known for its sharp taste and aroma, produced primarily by juniper berries often likened to those of pine needles with citrus notes. Its best-known form begins with a neutral spirit of often undefined origins, such as grain alcohol, which is intended to be flavourless. It is then re-distilled, and as its vapour leaves the still on its way to be condensed back into a liquid, it passes through a perforated metal basket containing the juniper berries. Other berries and herbs are often added to the basket to produce more complex flavours and aromas, and they are collectively known as ‘botanicals.’
Historically, gin’s origins can be traced back to the 11th century when Italian monks used juniper berries to flavour distilled spirits. People previously believed it had medicinal properties during the time of the Black Death, although this was later proven to be false.
The gin as we know it today was invented by the Dutch physician Franciscus Sylvius in the 17th century and was named “Jenever/ Genever,” which translates to ‘juniper’ in Dutch. The drink quickly became popular in the low countries, where it was sold in chemists and enjoyed by soldiers during that time.
During the Boar War in the 17th century, English soldiers fighting alongside the Dutch noticed the Dutch soldiers’ bravery after consuming Genever. They, too, began consuming it themselves before battle, coining the phrase “Dutch Courage” that we know today. Genever eventually made its way to England, becoming popular among the lower classes, and the name evolved and was shortened to “gin,” and the rest is history!
The Rise of Gin in England:
In essence, a ban on French Brandy paved the way for the gin craze and rise in the popularity of gin in England, and can be traced back to the arrival of William of Orange, the Dutch ruler, to the English throne in 1689. How, may you ask?
A ban on trading with France, England’s long-term rival, created a gap in the market, with French brandy being off limits. Furthermore, in 1690, Parliament passed “an Act for encouraging the distilling of brandy and spirits from corn.” This seemingly harmless Act triggered a powerful surge in demand, and as a result, people began consuming gin at an astonishing rate.
According to Jessica Warner, who wrote “Craze: Gin and Debauchery in an Age of Reason,” stated the average adult drank slightly more than a third of a gallon of cheap spirits in 1700. However, by 1720, that amount had almost doubled, and it nearly doubled again by 1729, the year the first Act restricting gin sales was passed. The height of the Gin Craze was in 1743, when one person consumed 2.2 gallons annually. It is generally accepted that the Gin Craze spanned from 1720 to 1751, a period of intense historical significance. Although exact dates are fuzzy for modern historians, people who lived through that era, especially in labyrinthine London, would agree that almost nothing was not a blur.
The Impact of Cheap Gin on London’s Poor:
The availability of cheap, homemade gin led to a surge of gin shops and household stills in London, totalling 7,500 and 1,500, respectively. As a result, gin became associated with poverty, alcoholism, and low-quality liquor. According to Lesley Jacobs Solmonson’s “Gin: A Global History,” gin consumption was so prevalent that one in four London residents was completely incoherent at any given time.
The Government allowed unlicensed gin production while imposing heavy tariffs on imported spirits, making it easy for anyone to distil gin by posting a public notice and waiting for just ten days. Turpentine, sulphuric acid, sugar, and honey were common ingredients used to improve the taste and aroma of gin, masking its unpleasant flavours. “Gin” became synonymous with cheap, unsafe spirits made from any ingredients, similar to “moonshine” or “rotgut” today. The gin craze had dire consequences on London’s population growth, as gin consumption was blamed for the rise in crime, madness, higher death rates, and falling birth rates. Clean water was also scarce during this period, and gin was perceived as a safer alternative, leading to widespread alcohol consumption, including consumption by children. Gin shops also allowed women to drink alongside men for the first time, leading many to neglect their children, earning gin the nickname “Mother’s Ruin”.
The Gin Craze and the Ineffectiveness of Gin Acts:
Even today, specific terms that were popular during the Gin Craze of the 18th century are still in use, such as “gin joints” or “gin mills” to describe low-cost bars and “gin-soaked” to refer to drunkenness. During the prohibition period in America, bootleg liquor of any kind was commonly referred to as “bathtub gin.”
Despite implementing eight Gin Acts between 1729 and 1751, not all had the desired effect. The problem was that distillation had become a domestic trade, with low-quality gin being produced easily and freely on private premises. Beer was subject to strict regulations, but not gin. Patrick Dillon, author of “Gin: The Much Lamented Death of Madam Geneva,” notes that “anyone who could afford a vat and a still could set up shop and make spirits.” All a seller needed was “a cellar or garret—failing that, a wheelbarrow.”
In one district of London, it’s estimated that the ratio of normal houses to dram shops (as they were known) was five to one. The city was overrun with drams, and the craze was in full swing. No law on alcohol will ever surpass the ingenuity of those determined to break it, as anyone familiar with Prohibition can attest. This was also evident during the Gin Acts, as described in “The Life and Uncommon Adventures of Captain Dudley Bradstreet,” published in 1755. The author, trying to profit during the later Gin Acts, studied them for loopholes and showed wit and daring in staying within the rules, albeit barely.
He realized that the authorities, who were now cracking down on home distillation, had no right to break into homes to enforce the law. So he “purchased in Moorfields the sign of a cat, and had it nailed to a street window; I then caused a leaden pipe, the small end out about an inch, to be placed under the Paw of the Cat; the end that was within had a Funnel to it.”
At night, Bradstreet would enter the house, shut the door, and waited.
At last, I heard the Chink of Money and a comfortable Voice say, “Puss, give me two Pennyworth of Gin.” I instantly put my Mouth to the Tube and bid them receive it from the Pipe under her Paw and then measured and poured it into the Funnel, from whence they soon received it.
Ladies and gentlemen welcome to the vending machine. Every culture has a soft spot for comic resourcefulness, and you can still see a Puss & Mew, as it was called, at the Beefeater distillery in South London.
The Gin Act:
A brief history of its impact on regulating Gin sales, the British Government imposed the Gin Act in 1736: The Act taxed retail sales at 20 shillings per gallon, making selling gin without a £50 annual licence illegal. However, the Act had little effect as only two licences were obtained in the following seven years, and legitimate sellers went out of business while bootleggers thrived. The situation changed with the passing of the Gin Act in 1751 and a shift in the economy that resulted in a series of bad harvests driving grain prices up. Landowners became less dependent on gin production for income, causing food prices to increase and wages to decrease. As a result, the poor could no longer afford gin, and by 1757, the Gin Craze had subsided.
It’s worth noting that the gin of the time was not the refined liquor we know today but rather a harsh and potent moonshine that could damage both the body and the conscience.
“On Sunday night, we took the child into the Fields, and stripped it, and ty’d a Linen Handkerchief hard about its Neck to keep it from crying, and then laid it in a Ditch. After that, we went together, and sold the Coat and Stay for a Shilling, and the Petticoat and Stockings for a Groat. We parted the Money, and join’d for a Quartern of Gin”.
In London, Judith Defour admitted to murdering her own daughter, Mary, in January 1734. She was found guilty and executed, and her heinous Act added to the mounting evidence against gin. This popular alcoholic beverage was said to have the power to break down the societal bonds that keep us together and instead bring about chaos. William Hogarth’s renowned print, “Gin Lane,” illustrates this concept vividly. In the centre of the image, a woman who is lost in a Gin-induced haze smiles while her child falls to its death unnoticed. The townsfolk in the background fight and squabble, with a man even sharing his food with a dog. The buildings are collapsing, and the world around them is in a state of drunkenness.
The Rise, Fall, and Rebirth of Gin:
Gin Lane and Beer Street were a pair of contrasting works of art created by Hogarth – while Beer Street depicted the English at leisure, Gin Lane showcased the nation’s addiction to gin. Hogarth believed that the root of all evil was gin, not drinking in itself. He wasn’t alone in this belief, as Fielding’s “An Enquiry Into the Causes of the Late Increase of Robbers” also cited gin as a cause of inebriation and crime.
Gin made a comeback in the days of the British Empire when it was mixed with quinine as an antimalarial drug. Churchill famously remarked that the gin and tonic had saved more English lives than all the doctors in the Empire. The addition of gin made the tonic’s bitterness more palatable, and the cocktail became popular among the aristocracy. The 1830s saw the advent of improved distilling technology, creating sweetened Old Tom gin and dry London gin.
Gin’s popularity waned in the late 70s and 80s due to vodka, other spirits, and wine competition. However, there has been a resurgence of gin in recent years, with many craft distilleries producing new varieties and flavours. Gin has evolved from its reputation as “mother’s ruin” to a sophisticated spirit that is enjoyed in various cocktails.